From traditional Mexican pastimes like charrio and lucha libre to modern baseball and soccer, Guadalajara is the perfect place for all types of sports fans.
Charreada
The sport of charreada is considered a "living history" of Mexico and is the national sport. This competitive sport is similar to rodeo and its origins date back to the 19th Century when Mexico's haciendas were widespread throughout the country. The first charreadas evolved from ranch work competitions between neighboring haciendas. Today's charreada consist of nine events, called suertes, designed for men and one event dedicated to women called escaramuza. All of the events use horses and cattle (often incorporating both) and consist of horse riding, roping and cattle handling. An important component of the sport is the traditional charreada clothing which for the men includes a fitted and decorative suit, leather boots with spurs and a sombrero. For the women, the traditional uniform is a colorful and full dress with a sombrero. Two or more teams compete against each other during one charreada match and are judged based on their style and execution throughout the nine events. Live charreada shows are popular in Guadalajara and can be found throughout the city year-round. Guadalajara hosts the Mexican National Charro Championship, held as part of the Internatioanal Mariachi and Charreria Festival each September.
Club Deportivo
Club Deportivo, commonly known as Chivas, is a professional soccer club based in Guadalajara. The team was founded by Edgar Everaert, who arrived in Mexico in 1906. In 1908, with the approval of Everaert and the players, the team was renamed as Club Deportivo Guadalajara to reflect a sense of loyalty within Guadalajara's locals. In that same year, the team declared it would only field Mexican-born players. The team's three colors (red, white and blue) symbolize "Fraternity, Union and Sports". The team mascot, as well as their nickname, is the goat or chiva. Club Deportivo is one of Mexico's most successful and popular soccer teams, winning numerous championships. The team plays from late summer to fall at Estadio Omnilife located in the Zapopan district of Guadalajara.
Charros de Jalaisco
Charros de Jalisco is Guadalajara's official baseball team and member of the Mexican Pacific League. The team originated with the Pozoleros de Jalisco and officially became the Charros team in 1952. From there, a second rehabilitation of the Charros team was launched from 1964 and 1975 in which the team won the Mexican League championship twice. The baseball team was relaunched again in October 2014 by a group of local entrpreneuers at the newly built Panamerican Athletics Stadium in Guadalajara's Zapopan district. The stadium holds up to 11,000 people and its modern field is made of synthtic grass. The season runs from October to December and tickets range from 25-600 pesos.
Lucha Libre
Lucha Libre is a form of professional wrestling developed in Mexico. This lively sport has become an internationally recognized symbol of Mexican pop culture. The history of Mexican wrestlinig dates back to 1863 when Enrique Ugartechea, the first Mexican wrestler, developed the Mexican lucha libre style inspired by Greco-Roman wrestling. Today, lucha libre wrestlers are known as luchadores. Each luchador is characterized by a avibrant outfit including a colorful mask. The wearing of masks in lucha libre wrestling has a special significance and matches are sometimes contested in which the loser must permanently remove his mask. Tag team wrestling is especially prevalent in lucha libre, particularly matches with three-member teams, called trios. The sport is made up of various holds and "high-flying" maneuvers. Matches can be won ny pinning the opponent to the mat for the count of three, knocking the opponent out of the ring or by disqualification. Lucha libre performances are held at the Arena Coliseo de Guadalajara in Guadalajara's downtown district on Tuesday and Sunday nights.